“She’s not back yet.” Ash walked out of the kitchen where Camila was cooking up a grilled lobster salad for lunch. Alone. She hadn’t seen Heather since she’d headed up the hill to Sherri’s. “She should be back soon. Why don’t you grab a book and relax in one of the hammocks for a while? I need to do a bit of research on the computer. Will you be okay for a bit?”

“Ash, I’m not an invalid. I’ll be fine.” She yawned. “Besides, I could use a nap and that hammock outside of my bungalow looked pretty inviting. Would you believe I’ve never been in a hammock either?”

He laughed. “As a matter of fact, I would. But today is the day to have your first hammock. So get to it.”

She smiled and Ash couldn’t help but think how much mother and daughter actually looked alike. Especially when they were happy. Maybe Casa del Sol could work its magic on Val, too. And hopefully the two of them could find their way back to each other.

As soon as Val grabbed a book from the shelf in the corner, and the mojito Ash made her, and headed back to her bungalow, Ash got to work at the computer. He was already behind in his research for helping Sherri and although it couldn’t be helped, he wasn’t going to miss another minute. Sheri’s health was a priority and he knew as soon as Heather came back down, she was going to think so, too.

She was also going to be upset.

But maybe not as upset as she could be. Sure, he should have told her. But Sherri had asked him not to. And yes, he should have ignored that. But now that he had an actual plan to help, Heather would like that.

Oh yes. He could justify it in all kinds of ways. But it didn’t matter; he was going to do as he said he would.

Without much to go on, Ash typed a few things into the Google search bar and filtered through the results. It surprised him how much he could find on natural treatments for cancer. Of course, there was just as much negative as positive, but that wasn’t his job. He’d promised Sherri they would do it her way. And they would. At least for now.

It didn’t take him long to find the contact information for nutritionists, cancer specialists, and even a man who specialized in healing through the mind with yoga and meditation. He composed a number of emails and made a list of phone numbers. He’d have to wait and call them when he got to town. The cell service could be sketchy at best so far from town and he didn’t want to risk dropping such important phone calls. The emails were a good start, but what he really wanted was to talk to a few people personally and ideally secure them as staff.

He’d been hoping to avoid a trip into town, at least until he could line it up with a guest pickup for Heather. But the more he got into it, the more it looked as though he would need to go into town soon. Very soon. If he wanted to make things happen for Sherri, and line up a staff, let alone supplies and anything else she was going to need to fight and win her battle, he needed to get moving on it now.

Especially because everything he was thinking about doing was going to require money. Not that he didn’t have a lot of it. He did. But it wasn’t easy to access. Not in a place like Bocas Town. He kept a small supply of cash at the local bank but for what he wanted to do, he would probably have to make a trip to Panama City to unlock some major funds. He’d wait as long as possible to do that. And if there was a workaround, he’d take it.

When his list was made, he was just about to log off the computer when he decided to check his email on the off chance that he received a response already. To his shock, he did. And it was the one he wanted, too. Dr. Friesen, out of Arizona, who specialized in a holistic approach to cancer. Ash had been impressed with his website. Very impressed. Enough so that when he’d written the email, he’d mentioned that he would go to any means to have the doctor come to Panama as soon as possible. If he was the best, and he certainly looked to be, Ash wanted him on the team. As soon as possible.

Eagerly, he clicked open the email.

Mr. Anderson,

I’m sorry to hear about your friend, Sherri. She sounds like a lovely lady and from what you’ve described, she is an excellent candidate for my program. I don’t do house calls very often, and I’ve never before been a ‘doctor in residence,’ as you put it. Sherri’s type of leukemia is highly treatable; however, I am intrigued by her philosophy on treating herself. I would be happy to speak to you further and entertain the idea of visiting Sherri to see how I could possibly be of help in her situation. I am currently preparing to go on a small research trip and will be gone for the next few weeks. As I sensed some level of urgency in your correspondence, I thought I would offer the opportunity to talk to you as soon as possible and potentially shift my travel plans to include a visit to Panama to discuss the best course of action and further potential treatment plans.

If this is of interest to you, I would invite you to call me as soon as possible at the below listed number. If I do not hear from you within the next twelve hours, I will unfortunately be unable to accommodate your request.

Sincerely, Dr. Mike Friesen

“Sure sounds to me like he’d be willing to make a house call,” Ash said aloud. “Everything is doable for a price.” It was a lesson he’d learned years ago and although he hadn’t had much use for money in Bocas, at least not the type of money he was used to dealing with, it was obviously a principle that stayed true.

Dr. Friesen was the guy he needed. No, he was the doctor Sherri needed. He needed to call right away. He’d change the man’s entire travel plans if he needed to. Anything to get him to Panama and on Team Sherri as soon as humanly possible.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and powered it on. From the moment Ash decided to leave his old life behind, ditching his old cell phone and the constant need to be in touch with the world had been one of his favorite things about leaving it all behind. His new phone existed mostly out of necessity to have a home base. Somewhere for his parents to reach him if there was an emergency, and of course for phone calls like the one he was about to make.

Ash plugged the phone in—it was almost never charged—and dialed the number.

No service.

“Dammit.”

That was largely the problem with cell phones in Panama. He tried a different plug, closer to the water where maybe there was better reception.

Nothing.

There was no help for it. He’d have to go into town.

But Heather wasn’t back yet. He didn’t want to leave before Heather got back from Sherri’s. He hadn’t had a moment to talk to her about anything important. About Sherri, about them. Them. He shook his head. He didn’t have time to think about how much had changed or how much more he still wanted it to change. There’d be time for that later.

He ran into the kitchen; Camila was still there.

“You haven’t seen Heather yet, have you?” It was a stupid question, because he was sure she hadn’t. Just as he thought, Camila shook her head. Ash glanced out the window toward the path that led to Sherri’s. He could run up the stairs and find her. But there was no time. He needed to make the call.

“Dammit.”

There was no help for it. He had to go. “Can you give her a message for me?”

“Que?”

“A message. Can you give Heather a message for me?”

Camila nodded, but didn’t look at him. She pulled a cake out of the oven with a whistle. It was an impressive cake, and Ash told her so before returning to the task at hand. “You can give Heather a message for me? Si?”

“Si.”

The girl wasn’t paying any attention to him and Ash probably would have thought it was funny given how into him she’d been a few months ago.

“Muy bueno, si?” She pointed at her cake, and Ash nodded again. “It is for my Luis. Bueno?”

He tried not to laugh. She was baking the cake for her boyfriend. No wonder she wasn’t paying any attention to him. She was in love. “Si, Camila. Please just tell Heather I had to go to town—it’s important. I’ll bring her guests back with me. Okay?”

“Si. Si.”

Ash shook his head and left the kitchen. It was a simple message. Heather would get it. He didn’t have time to wait any longer. He needed to get there and make the call that could save Sherri’s life. Heather would understand. Besides, he’d be back in the morning. With her guests. It was a win-win.

Without giving it anymore thought, he grabbed his cell phone and ran down the dock, hopped into the boat and took off toward town.

* * *

By the time Heather got down to grande casa, she was more than ready to see Ash. And give him crap for keeping Sherri’s illness a secret from her for so long. But she wasn’t mad. Not really. Mostly she was just looking forward to seeing him. Hopefully he’d been able to work his charm on her mother.

Her mother.

That wasn’t something she was looking forward to dealing with. But talking to Sherri had also helped Heather realize something else. Life was short. Her mother may aggravate her, but she was the only mother Heather had. She was the only family she had. And Ash was right; there was obviously a reason for her traveling all the way to Panama and it wasn’t likely to give her a hard time.

That was probably just an added benefit because didn’t all mothers like to give their children a hard time?

Regardless. She could take it and she would. Because no matter what the reason was behind it, her mother was there. In Panama. And that was something.

“Hello?” She called into the empty room. After nearly all her time at Casa del Sol filled with guests and people all around, it was always so strange when it was empty and quiet. Considering she’d expected both Ash and her mother to be waiting for her, it felt especially quiet when she walked in and no one was there.

There was, however, a delicious smell coming out of the kitchen, so Heather followed her nose in there and found Camila icing a beautiful cake.

“Wow.”

The woman turned and beamed. “Bueno, si?”

“Muy bueno.” Heather agreed. “Por que…a cake?” She couldn’t find the word she was looking for, so she settled on the English.

“For Luis. His birthday.”

“Ah.” Heather smiled. She didn’t mind if the girl used the kitchen for some personal baking and she knew Sherri wouldn’t have cared either. Especially if it was a birthday cake for her boyfriend. The girl was in love and it was nice to see. “Have you seen Ash? Or my mom?”

Camila nodded and went back to putting the finishing touches on her cake.

“Where are they?”

“Ash is gone?”

Heather spun to see her mother in the doorway behind her. She looked rumpled, rested and sun-kissed and totally unlike herself. She looked good. “You’re back.”

“Of course I’m back.” Her mom straightened and attempted to smooth her blouse. “I’ve been back for hours. Ash fixed me a very nice drink and I’ve been in my hammock ever since. It was pure bliss.”

She tried not to grin. “I can tell. What was in the drink?”

“I beg your pardon?”

It was the wrong thing to say. Her mother instantly got her back up. She should have known better than to try to joke with her. Especially with how they’d left things the last time they were in the same room together.

“That’s not what I was trying to say, Mom,” Heather tried again. “I was just thinking how relaxed you looked and I know if Ash fixed you a drink, well, it might have been a bit strong. He has a habit of not measuring. Did you enjoy the hammock?”

Her mom looked as if she was going to say something harsh again, but instead she swallowed hard and nodded. “I did.” A small smile started at the corners of her lips. “Did you know I’d never been on one before?”

“No way?”

“It’s true.” She paused to pet the dog, who stood at her side. “And it could have been tricky, too. But this guy helped me out. I kind of used him so I didn’t swing off and into the water.”

Heather’s hand flew to her mouth in an effort to contain a giggle. “Thor stopped you from swinging into the water?”

“He did.” She nodded quite seriously. “He stood there like a little wall. I thumped into him quite hard, too. But he didn’t move.” She patted Thor again. “You’re a good dog, aren’t you?” The dog turned his face up and licked her mother’s hand, eating up the attention.

Heather couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “He is a good dog.” Maybe her time with Ash had done her some good? Or maybe it was the nap? Either way, they were both in better moods and Heather was going to take advantage of it. She was tired of fighting. “Are you hungry, Mom? I’m sure there’s something to eat. We could find Ash and have a little late lunch.”

“I am famished. Ash said something about a lobster salad before I went to lie down. Where is he?”

“I was going to ask you that same question.”

Her mother’s mouth dropped open. “Are you implying that I had a young man in my bungalow with me?”

“Oh, Mom! No. I would—” She stopped because her mother was laughing. Hard.

What was going on? Her mother was like a completely different person. She couldn’t remember her mom ever goofing around with her like that before. Ash must have gotten through to her. She’d have to thank him later.

“Okay, okay. Are you done?”

Her mother nodded.

“Good. And you don’t know where Ash is?”

Her mother shook her head, still obviously trying not to laugh. Maybe her mother was drunk? Maybe Ash had made her a really strong drink? She narrowed her eyes at her, and turned back to Camila, who was now pushing fresh blossoms into the icing on the cake. “Did Ash tell you where he was going?”

She shook her head but then quickly said, “Si.”

“He did?”

The girl turned, a worried look on her beautiful features. “He left.”

Left? “Where did he go?”

“To town.”

She was going to lose her patience if Camila didn’t come out with exactly what he’d said. “Anything else?”

She nodded.

“What?” She tried not to sound frustrated, but she was pretty sure she failed. “What else did he say? Is he coming back?”

“Something important.” Camila looked as though she was going to cry. “I’m so sorry, señorita. I didn’t hear. I was…the cake…Luis…lo sent mucho.”

Heather closed her eyes and took a breath. It didn’t matter. Except that she wanted to see him. But that wasn’t a reason to get upset at Camila.

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “So he went to town. Was he going to pick up the new guests?”

“New guests?”

Heather turned to her mother. “Yes. That’s what we do here. We have guests.”

“But you don’t have any now.”

“We have you.”

Her mother’s mouth opened and closed silently. Heather looked at Camila. “Do you know?”

The girl shook her head and Heather tried not to sigh. “Okay. I’ll have to go get them tomorrow.”

But she didn’t have a boat. Ash would have taken the boat. How could he have left without telling her? Especially with guests coming.

Okay. Calm down, Heather. You can solve this, too. You’re strong and capable and you don’t need Ash to help you out with this stuff. Hadn’t she just told Sherri that she wasn’t going to be able to rely on Ash for her expansion plans? This was a good test of that. She wracked her brain and landed on a fantastic alternative. “Camila? Does Luis have a boat?”

The girl nodded with a smile. “Si, señorita.”

“Would he take us into town tomorrow?”

“Us?”

“Yes, us.” She looked at her mom. “You don’t want to come?” Secretly, Heather might have been hoping to find her mother a new place to stay, but she didn’t say that out loud. Besides, there was room at Casa del Sol. She could stay.

“I have no interest in returning to that town,” her mother said. “Besides, this place is much nicer and I’ve only started to discover it.”

She wasn’t sure about leaving her mother there on her own, but after a quick discussion with Camila and the girl’s assurance that her mother could in fact stay with her and she’d show her how to cook some of the local dishes, the matter was settled and mother and daughter took their salads in hand and headed out to the covered deck to eat them.

* * *

Ash made it to town in record time. He tied up the boat and set off to find Mick at the Bitter End before making his call. The older man was exactly where Ash knew he’d be: behind the bar. He handed Ash a beer the moment he sat down.

“It’s been awhile,” Mick said. “You’re keeping pretty busy out at Casa del Sol, huh? Or maybe I should say—”

“You probably shouldn’t say anything.” Ash laughed and took a swig of his beer. “Not if you and I want to stay friends, that is.”

“Fair enough. You staying for a bit or just passing through?”

He’d thought about it on the boat ride over. He had two options. He could make his phone call, turn right around and go back to Casa del Sol where he wanted to spend the night. Or, he could make his phone call, and about a dozen others on his list, load up on some supplies, secure some finances, pick up Heather’s new guests and spend the night at the Bitter End. He knew which one of the options he really wanted to do.

He also knew which one was the responsible one.

“I’ll be here overnight,” he told Mick. “Can I get a private room?”

“Private?” Mick wiggled his eyebrows. There’d been only one reason he’d wanted a private room in the past, and that was because he was planning to entertain a woman. Even then, he didn’t always bother with it. After all, at a place like the Bitter End, there wasn’t much in the way of privacy anyway. But that was the old Ash. That was the Ash before he’d met Heather. The Ash who was still running away from everything. The new Ash was different. And he wanted a private room for a very different reason.

Privacy.

“Definitely private.” He wasn’t about to encourage Mick’s behavior. He may be an old friend, one of his only friends, but he also didn’t feel like getting into a big conversation about everything. Not right then anyway. He had more important things to worry about first. “Do you have any?”

The man nodded. “Just so happens, I do.” He turned and reached under a counter before producing a key. “You can have room five. I know it’s your favorite. Right at the top of the stairs.” Mick winked. “Easy access.”

Ash tried not to shake his head. There would be no convincing Mick his reasons for a private room were pure. At least not right then. “Thanks, man.” He took the key. “You spoil me.”

Mick slid another beer across the counter. “I try.”

“Thanks.” Ash gathered up the key and the beer and slid off the stool. “I’ll be back. I have some things to take care of before it gets too late.”

Mick nodded, unconcerned with Ash’s coming and goings. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to. Ever since coming to Bocas Town, Ash had been pretty transient. At one point, he had a little apartment in one of the buildings on one of the side streets, but it became more trouble than it was worth. Besides, it was too far from the main action of Bocas, where all the drinking, partying, and women were. It was just easier to live out of a backpack and the small locker he had in Mick’s backroom, where he kept some clean T-shirts and shorts. He stopped at that locker before heading upstairs and cleared it out of clean clothes. The T-shirts were virtually untouched. He couldn’t remember when he’d last worn one. But he’d have to when it came time to pick up members of Sherri’s team. And they’d arrive, too. He knew it. His plan would work.

He made the first phone call as soon as he got up to room five. With his notebook in hand, Ash dialed the number Dr. Friesen had emailed him and waited. The phone rang three times before it finally picked up.

“Dr. Friesen?”

“You must be Ash Anderson. I’ve been expecting your call.”

The two men exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Ash couldn’t wait any longer. “You said in your email that you didn’t make house calls, but you’d consider an exception.”

“I did,” the doctor said. “And I don’t. But your argument was compelling.”

Ash shook his head. “You mean, I have money.”

“If you can pay for the service, I don’t see why I shouldn’t offer it.” Ash had been in business too long to argue with that. “Besides, I’m intrigued by your friend’s approach. You say she’s fought cancer and won before?”

“She has. But perhaps she didn’t win since it appears to be back.”

“No one ever really wins the war, Ash. But you can win the battle. That’s what I’m hoping to help you with.”

“It can be done?” He wanted the answer to be yes. More than anything, Ash needed to save Sherri. He hadn’t been able to save Carlie, but he would save Sherri. “Naturally, I mean? She won’t use drugs. Well, she has some.” He listed off the chemo drugs Sherri had procured for herself. “But she feels strongly about doing it without hospital intervention.”

“Those are strong drugs. Combined with my natural treatments, she should have a chance. But I agree with you, it can’t be done alone.”

“And you’ll come?”

There was silence on the other end of the line and for a moment, Ash was worried they’d been disconnected. Finally, Dr. Friesen spoke. “I will. I was supposed to travel to New York later today, but—”

“I’ll send you the ticket. You should be able to get on the next flight to Panama City.”

Dr. Friesen chuckled. “Persistent, aren’t you?”

“She’s important to me.”

“I was going to say just that.”

“It shouldn’t be—wait. What?”

The other man laughed. “I’ll come. Send the details to my email address and I’ll get on the next flight.”

Ash was silent for a moment in an effort to process exactly what was happening. “You will? I mean, you understand you’re coming to the jungle? It’s paradise, but…you understand it’s not a hospital.”

“I understand that. It’s exactly the reason I’m interested. It’s not a popular opinion in the medical community, but illness should be treated in a place of peace and tranquility. I’m very interested to meet your friend and learn about her philosophies. But you do have access to a clinic for supplies? I’ll need you to prepare a few things.”

Ash nodded and then said, “Of course.” He flipped a page in his notebook and started taking notes as the doctor dictated a list of items he’d need to get. By the time he got off the phone, Ash was once again excited about the opportunity to help Sherri. Dr. Friesen was going to be just what they needed. He was sure of it. They’d decided together to wait until his arrival to decide on the rest of the team. But they had agreed they would need a team.

His next call was to the airline. It didn’t take him long to organize a first-class ticket to Panama City, followed by a private plane to Bocas Town. There were two airlines that flew in, but they were notoriously hard to get seats on. Especially on short notice. Ash wasn’t even going to take a chance. It was first class all the way. He needed Dr. Friesen at Casa del Sol as soon as possible. But it looked as though he’d have to settle for three days from now, which wasn’t so bad. Everything was falling into place.

* * *

The last thing Heather wanted to do was jinx anything. But her afternoon with her mother had been surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe that was a stretch, but it hadn’t been hard. It had been a long time since they’d been able to sit side by side and not have it end in a yelling match or tears. And even better, her mother hadn’t mentioned anything about her coming home.

Her mother had spent the last few minutes telling her about the beach Ash had taken her to and how soft the sand was between her toes. She didn’t bother telling her mom that she’d been to that beach and knew exactly what the sand felt like. She just sat back, sipped her drink and enjoyed the easy conversation between them. It was nice to hear her mom excited about something. Especially if that something didn’t have anything to do with her or how she should move back where it was nice and safe.

Letting her guard down a little, Heather leaned back in the chair and stretched her arms overhead. With the heat of the afternoon gone, they’d moved their chairs out into the sun to soak up a few of the warm rays. It felt nice on her skin and warmed her from the outside in. “This has been nice, Mom.”

“Nice?”

She turned and opened one eye. “Yes. This. You and me. It’s been nice to hear about your day.”

Her mother thought about it for a moment and finally smiled. “It has been nice.” She looked out toward the ocean. “That Ash, he’s sure something.”

Not that she had any way to know, but her mother had just uttered the biggest understatement of the year. Ash was definitely something. Something she couldn’t even begin to explain. But maybe that was the beauty of it. Maybe she didn’t need to explain Ash or what was going on between them or any of it. Maybe she could just enjoy it and for the first time in her life, understand what love really felt like.

Heather was so lost in her thoughts about Ash, she didn’t realize her mother was staring at her, waiting for an answer to a question she hadn’t heard. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “What did you say?”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “I asked if it was serious.”

“If what was serious?”

“Don’t play coy, Heather. You’re not good at it.”

“No. Seriously. What’s serious?”

Her mother straightened up in her chair and looked at Heather pointedly. “You and Ash. Are the two of you serious?”

Oh. Of course her mother would have gone there right away. She tried to think. They hadn’t kissed or held hands in front of her. Or even looked at each other in any type of way that could be viewed as anything other than friends. Had they?

“Don’t try to figure it out,” her mother said, reading her mind. “I can just see these things, is all. Besides, you two don’t hide it very well. You might as well have just told me.”

Heather was so confused and she didn’t bother trying to hide it. “What do you mean? We didn’t advertise anything. We’ve been very discreet since you’ve—”

“So you admit it?”

Heather smacked her palm to her head. “I guess I do.” She looked at her mom. “Okay. Yes. Ash and I are…well…I guess we’re seeing each other.”

Her mother clucked her tongue. “I already knew that. Is it serious? He’s a nice young man. Very charming.”

She didn’t answer right away. It was hard to know whether her mother was setting her up for a trap, or whether she genuinely wanted to know about Heather and Ash. History would tell Heather that it was a trap, and she would use the information for her own benefit. Whatever that could be. But, that history was from a long time ago. Maybe things had changed. Maybe her mom had changed.

She hoped so.

“I don’t know,” Heather finally answered honestly. “I was kind of hoping to have a minute to sort that out myself.”

“I hope I’m not the reason you haven’t had a chance to sort that out.” Could it be that her mother was actually being reasonable and understanding? “I mean, you clearly had plenty of time to define your relationship before I showed up.” Nope. Heather would have laughed at the irony, but her mother kept talking. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Wait. What’s not a good idea? You just finished telling me what a nice young man he is. And how charming he was.”

“He is.”

Heather sat up in her chair and stared at her mother. “What are you talking about then?”

“You just got out of a marriage, Heather. It’s never a good idea to jump into anything when a marriage ends.”

She opened her mouth, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Which, as it turned out, was fine considering her mother wasn’t done providing her unsolicited opinion.

“When a marriage ends, it’s like a death, Heather.”

As if she’s suddenly an expert.

“You need time to grieve the end of the relationship. You need time to figure out who you are and what you really want out of life. You need at least a year.”

“A year?” She managed to sputter out the words. “I need a year? One whole year to sort myself out and figure out who I am before I can enter into any type of relationship. That’s the magic number?”

Her mom issued a long-suffering sigh. “It’s not a precise number, Heather. Only a guideline. I think it typically takes about a year for a person to go through the process. But it’s not fair to enter into a relationship before you’re ready.”

She sat back and shook her head. “I’m ready, Mom. I’m more than ready.” Just saying the words aloud made her realize it in a way she never had before. She sat up again. “You know what? I’ve been ready for a long time. Long before my marriage with Joe officially ended. I’m not even mad at him for the way things went down because it was the out I needed.”

“An out?”

“Yes, Mom. I’ve been unhappy for a long time. I just didn’t know how to go about ending it. I guess I should thank Joe for having an affair and forcing the situation.” No. Maybe not. “Okay, I won’t thank him. But you get the point.”

Her mother was silent for a few minutes. Finally, her voice was sad when she spoke. “I didn’t realize you were so unhappy, Heather.”

“Of course you didn’t.” She looked at her lap. “I never told you. I never told anyone, Mom. It wasn’t something I talked about. And I knew if I said something, you’d just tell me to come home. You’d tell me how you always knew he was no good for me. And I didn’t want to hear that.”

“I wouldn’t have—” Heather’s pointed look cut her off. “Okay, I would have said that.”

They both sat back in their chairs. The sun was starting to set, creating a vibrant palette of reds, oranges, and pinks streaking across the sky.

“Heather, do you know why I’m here?”

The question was so unexpected that she wasn’t entirely sure she’d heard it correctly. Slowly, Heather turned to her mom. “No,” she said after a moment. “I don’t.”

“Do you think it was easy for me to come here?”

She shook her head. “I know it wasn’t.”

“And I don’t just mean the travel.”

“I know, Mom.”

“Do you know why I never wanted you to leave home, Heather?”

“To protect me.”

Her mother nodded. They’d had the conversation before. Many times. Or at least, some variation of it. Her mother was silent again for a few minutes. “I both failed and succeeded.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a hard thing for a mother, Heather. Maybe one day you’ll understand.” Her mom wouldn’t look at her while she spoke, and Heather didn’t force it. “After your dad died, I didn’t want anything as much as I wanted you to stay safe. And with me. I don’t think I ever told you that part before.” Heather shook her head, but her mom didn’t notice. “I wasn’t only afraid of something happening to you; I was afraid of losing you.”

“Mom, you would never—”

“But that’s exactly what happened.” She continued as if Heather hadn’t said anything. “I lost you because I loved you too much. But you know what? You’re safe. So I guess I did okay.”

Heather reached over her chair and grabbed her mom’s hand. A tear dropped from her eye. “Mom. You did great.” She meant the words as she spoke and she realized she’d never before told her mother that before. “And you didn’t lose me. I’m here. And you’re right, I’m safe.”

“That’s all I ever wanted.” There were tears in her mother’s eyes when she turned. The light was starting to dim, but Heather could see them clearly. “And for you to be happy. It breaks my heart that you were unhappy all those years and you didn’t say anything because you thought I wouldn’t understand.”

“I just couldn’t go back. Not because I didn’t love you,” she added quickly. “But I needed to get out and see things. Experience some of the world. And I couldn’t do that if I went home to you. At least I didn’t think so. Does that make sense?”

Her mother chuckled and shook her head. “No. But it doesn’t have to.” She squeezed Heather’s hand. “I’m glad I came.”

“Me too, Mom. Me too.”

Not all of their problems were going to be solved in one night. But they were off to a great start and that was more than Heather ever expected. They held hands and caught up on the last few years as the sun set below the horizon and the solar-powered lights on the dock flickered to life. And only when the first star appeared in the sky did they go inside and continue their conversation over dinner.